New Panasonic HC-X1 4K Compact Pro Camcorder with 20x Zoom and 4K/60p

Panasonic expand their 4K Camcorder portfolio with the newly announced HC-X1 compact professional camcorder featuring a 20x zoom and 4K/50 and 60p among other exciting features. The new HC-X1 may sound familiar to those who remember the HC-X1000, which was announced two years ago at IBC 2014, and was Panasonic’s first endeavour into UHD semi-pro/compact camcorder land. The new HC-X1 is all grown up with a 1-inch sensor, support for 4K 24p, UHD 60p/50p, FHD 60p/50p multi-format recording and HD super slow-motion. The HC-X1 includes all the bells and whistles you’d expect from a pro camcorder – you have 2-channel XLR Audio, Wired/Wireless remote control, triple manual rings for iris, focus and zoom control, timecode, built-in ND Filters and dual SD card slots for long-form recording or backup.

Additionally, the HC-X1 offers an HDMI output along with a wide 24mm angle LEICA DICOMAR 4K Lens and 20x optical zoom. The big feature however in the new HC-X1, apart from the variable frame rates and 4K/60p has go to be the amazing 5-Axis O.I.S. (Image Stabilisation) for 4K 24p recording, UHD 60p/50p recording, dual codec recording (UHD and FHD) and IR shooting.

The correction area was expanded to approximately 900% of the conventional area to strongly correct low- and high-angle shots (compared with Panasonic’s AG-AC160). In Full HD mode, a 5-Axis HYBRID O.I.S. + that adds electronic image stabilisation to optical image stabilisation detects and corrects 5 axes, including the roll rotation.

Quick zooming is possible from wide-angle to telephoto. The 4-Drive Lens System individually drives each of the four lens groups to minimise the drive range of each lens group and provide optical 20x zoom with its small body.

The effective 1.0-type (inch) MOS Sensor (9.46 megapixels at 4K/24p/8.79 megapixels at UHD, FHD) offers an appropriate depth of field and excellent balance between image quality and sensitivity. The HC-X1 can record in DCI 4K at 24p (4096 x 2160), UHD 60p/50p (3840 x 2160) or FHD 60p/50p (1920 x 1080). This is a global camera, which means users can switch freely between 59.94/50Hz and 24.00 Hz.

The file format can be selected from versatile and easy-to-use MOV (QuickTime), MP4 and AVCHD. The variety of recording modes with selectable image quality, frame rate and bit rate settings respond to a wide range of applications from cinema production to online distribution. There are a total of 13 user buttons, nine on the body and four on the LCD touch panel.

The EVF is a high-resolution (approx. 1,769,000 dots) colour OLED display with superb colour reproduction. What’s more, the HC-X1 is equipped with a wealth of focus assist functions to support quick and accurate manual focusing, such as MF Assist, One-Push AF, Expand/Peak, Focus Transition and Area Function.

The Panasonic HC-X1 will be available in December for $3,199.99 and can be pre-ordered from authorised dealers such as B&H and Adorama.